The role of empathy in creating quality content

If you ask me, content creation is the most selfless form of art.

It demands relentless dedication, daily exercise, perseverance, unique and authentic style. And if done right, it unequivocally produces food for thought – much like art does.

In her book Everybody Writes: Your Go-to Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content, Ann Handley lays out the fundamentals of quality content. She explains that utility (helping your reader do something that matters to them) plus inspiration (the insight you get from diving deep into data or pure creative inspiration) plus empathy (viewing the world entirely through your readers' eyes), equals quality content.

I agree, especially with the part about empathy.

Content in marketing is intended to drive return on investment. In its stripped-down essence, however, content creation is inherently and profoundly meant to serve the needs of others.

Great content hinges on empathy. It's the key that unlocks the power of all the other elements – like information and storytelling – that make content engaging. Without empathy, you're creating in the dark. It's the compass that guides you to connect with your audience.

What we need to know about empathy in marketing, is that it's not only about diving deep into data, studying the demographics, and hypothesizing about what to say and how to say it in order to resonate with your audience. Don't get me wrong; understanding and learning from your data is an important step to connecting with your audience – one we should never neglect. However, it's more about the seemingly trivial nuances that equip you to craft unique and useful content. It's empathy – the ability to write as if you were your reader – that makes you a great content creator.

The million dollar questions is: how can empathy be achieved? In the world of business, where scale is a prerequisite for success, empathy is vaguely, if not at all, discussed. How are you going to achieve empathy when you are talking to millions of people simultaneously with the click of a button?

It takes time and practice. There's no magic formula, but by paying attention to what your audience is telling you, you get closer. Tools like surveys and interviews can offer insights, like a window into their preferences. But, achieving empathy to the fullest is an ongoing quest.

This is why I continuously and stubbornly focus on playing "pretend"; what would I want to read if, for a moment, I pretended to be my reader?

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employers, past, present, or future.